Growing Up Christian

Happy holidays, everyone! We're taking a break from interviews, this week, and discussing important subjects like sustainable octopus(octopi?) farming, racist food humor, and the music we wanted people to think that we liked. Enjoy this laid-back episode, and join us next week for a very exciting guest: former pastor and author of My Gay Church Days, George Azar!   Don't forget to check out o...

Our guest this week is a fascinating person who’s been a supporter of the show since the very beginning, Amber Viola! Amber is the Human Resources Director and mayoral cabinet member for the city of Scranton, and she’s also the first black director in the city’s history. She’s also a Navy veteran, social worker, and the first black commander of the Gouldsboro American Legion. But that’s not all… A...

What a year it's been! Since posting our first episode on December 17, 2020, we've met so many cool people, had a ton of great conversations, and published a total of 59 episodes. This is a long-winded thank you to everyone who has downloaded the show, and all of the great guests who took time out of their schedule to talk to us! We truly didn't expect for the show to take off the way it has, and...

Our guest this week is musician, producer, and podcaster, Aaron Sprinkle! If you grew up listening to Christian rock, metal, or hip hop, chances are good that Aaron worked on some of your favorite albums. He was an important member of the Tooth & Nail Records team, and has production, engineering, and many other credits on albums from artists like Relient K, Anberlin, Emery, Demon Hunter, New...

Our guest this week is musician Jeremy Spring, who you might know from bands like Abandon Kansas, Crusoe, and his newest project, Glass Age! Jeremy is a pastor's kid that fell in love with music through church. He went on to become an accomplished musician, and toured the country extensively with many of the Christian rock bands you probably listened to as a kid. We got to talk with Jeremy about h...

This week we’re joined by a guy who wears a lot of hats, both literally and figuratively… Jesse Cale is a pastor’s kid, singer, musician, artist, composer, YouTuber, AND OnlyFans model! Jesse grew up in church and Christian school, and was very involved in things like the worship program. His love of music drove him towards a career in the industry, but he found that Christianity resonated less an...

The consummate king of Christian cringe is back, and he's curated a list of his favorite nightmare clips of 2021! Almost all of our guests have mentioned that their favorite Instagram/Twitter account is Christian Nightmares, and for good reason. He continually shines a light on the funniest, scariest, and most shocking actions, proclamations, and admissions from a colorful cast of religious leader...

Have you ever looked at the "Rants and Raves" section on Craigslist? It's about what you'd expect: a handful of eccentric lunatics screaming into the void about potholes, potheads, and the luciferian globalist cabal that wants to teach your toddler how to put condoms on bananas. Well, Sam's local paper hosts a similar discussion in print, and this week, we're taking a look at two of it's most acco...

This week, we're joined by anti-racist educator, writer, podcaster, and Twitter warrior, Tori Williams Douglass! She hosts two amazing podcasts called "White Homework" and "Go Home Bible, You're Drunk." Growing up in a conservative Christian household in Portland, Oregon, Tori was met face to face with the with the blaring contradictions between the church's spoken message of compassion and empath...

What Christian kid from the 90’s/00’s hasn’t listened to, or at the very least, known about Adventures in Odyssey? For all you badies who missed it, Adventures in Odyssey is an Evangelical radio drama/comedy created and produced by Focus on the Family. To date, over 900 episodes of Odyssey have aired across the globe, and spin-off products include books, cartoons, computer games, music albums, and...

Our guest this week is activist, organizer, and an old friend of Sam's, Phil Wilmot! Phil grew up in Pennsylvania deep in the trenches of Christian fundamentalism, saturated in white supremacy. Yearning for something more life-giving than climbing the ranks of Awana and stagnating in his hometown Christianity, he went to study at Messiah University. Through his studies and his hatred of cold weath...

Our guest this week is political activist and influencer, Charles McBryde! We became familiar with Charles through TikTok, where he speaks openly and honestly about his experience as a young Evangelical Republican working within the GOP political machine. During that time, he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump. Charles has also worked with The...

This week we’re joined by former Master’s Commission leader, Dustin Philipson! Dustin grew up in the Evangelical church, but drifted in and out as a teenager. He found his niche in the Christian punk and metal scene, and spent a lot of his formative years in Midwest venues. We had a lot of fun talking to Dustin, and we hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did!   Treat yourself to Cap...

This week we’re joined by actor, writer, director, and producer Brent Lydic! His new film Spirit Quest is about two friends who go on a hallucinogenic mushroom trip through the desert to face their fears, doubts, and failures. As a kid, Brent spent a lot of time in church, and went to a Christian school all the way through his freshman year of college. However, after moving to Los Angeles to work...

Our guest this week is prison reform activist, author, and former inmate, Andre Jacobs! Andre was born dirt poor in the ghettos of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He entered the adult prison system at the age of 15, unable to read and write. During the course of his 23 year incarceration, he got his GED, a college degree, wrote multiple books, mastered the art of filing and winning lawsuits over mistrea...

Our guest this week is author, podcaster, and writer for www.thehardtimes.net, Dan Kozuh! Dan grew up outside of Chicago in an emergent Evangelical mega church, but grew further and further removed from it, over time. We discuss his experience with things like AWANA and youth revivals, learning to recognize and manage his anxiety, and what it's been like to write for one of our favorite satirical...

On this episode of Friday Fellowship, we're joined by history teacher and host of the Pilgrim's Digress podcast Aaron! If you've been listening for a while, you might remember a story about Sam's friend who pumped his couch full of seasonal beerfest vomit... That's our buddy, Aaron. We touch on his youth group crusade against Catholicism, the untouchable status of Taylor Swift, Cold War reptilian...

This week we're joined by Scott Rodgers - a guy who, over the course of his career, has done a little bit of everything in the entertainment industry. Although his family wasn't necessarily "religious," Scott got involved in church as a teen. He later joined The Dingees, a ska/punk band signed to Tooth & Nail Records. He went on to become an actor, starring in a variety of shows including "Key...

This week we sat down with podcaster podcaster and ex-Mormon, Charisse a.k.a. The Existential Ginger! Charisse didn't just grow up in the Mormon church, she was devout. After a series of painful life events, she could no longer ignore the glaring problems in her "spiritual life." Having left the church, she set out to start a new life for herself far away from the faith, community, and environment...

Everybody is talking about Netflix's original documentary "Pray Away," in which ex-leaders and a survivor of the so-called "conversion therapy" movement speak out about its harm to the LGBTQ+ community and its devastating persistence. If you haven't seen it, go ahead and bump it to the top of your queue. Although it's been widely applauded, there are, of course, those who find it offensive, biased...

This week we're joined by filmmaker, director, and show runner for C13Originals' Gangster Capitalism, Zak Levitt! Zak is a two-time Emmy, Peabody, Clio, and NAACP Image Award winner, and a fantastic documentarian that spent months investigating Liberty University and the Falwell family for season 3 of Gangster Capitalism. We were blown away by his team's work in the show, and we really enjoyed pic...

Our guest this week is Stephanie Drury, curator of Stuff Christian Culture Likes! Stephanie grew up with parents who were in ministry and bounced from church to church, and was engrossed in Christian culture most of her life. However, in her late teens, she started drifting away from the type of evangelicalism she had always known. Stephanie has a fascinating story, and a lot of salient points abo...

Man, do we have an exciting guest, this week! Nikki Brumen (formerly of “Pagan”) is the supremely talented and newly acquired vocalist for Norwegian “deathpop” band, Blood Command. You might be asking yourself, “What in the world is deathpop?” Well, it’s Blood Command, and it’s fantastic. Nikki was nice enough to join us from her home in Australia to talk about her years as a reluctant student at...

Our guest this week is author and pastoral counselor Sara Hall. In her book, “Tasting Dirt: When You’re Disappointed with God,” Sara details the life-changing traumatic events that nearly took her faith and her life. Not only did she grapple with abuse, depression, and shame, but she did so almost completely alone. With the exception of a few loving individuals, her church “family” was nowhere to...

On this edition of Friday Fellowship, we're joined by one of Casey's favorite people in the world, Davis Shinn! I'll go ahead and say it - this episode probably isn't for everyone... If you came here looking for an intellectual discussion, maybe try again next week. If you were hoping for bourbon-fueled nonsensical banter, then you're in luck! You'll hear about how Davis and Casey became friends t...